Putting Video Games to the Test

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Totally Awesome

Status: Passing type 1 “ A scene meeting these criteria is an unavoidable part of the game”

Description: You play as Faith a female “runner” (couriers using Parkour maneuvers to avoid capture/detection while delivering messages in a future overrun by electronic surveillance). You have several unavoidable conversations with other female characters in the game, including your sister Kate and fellow runner Celeste.

This is the first game to be submitted by my submission form ya!! Also on that not I’ve added the optional ability to include a screen name/handle when submitting a game if you what to be credited with the submission.

Status: Passing. Type 1, “A scene meeting these criteria is a unavoidable part of the game.”

Description: The main characters Chell and GLaDOS are female coded (Chell is a human female, GLaDOS is a female coded AI) and the game’s cast is almost entirely female. A computer sphere at the end of the game is male coded, and “ratman” might be considered a character in absentia, as you never see him but find “dens” with his scrawled writings as you play the game.

Chell, is a silent protagonist so some may disagree that Chell and GLaDOS truly communicate. However, in the context of the game I’d say it most certainly does GLaDOS is clearly trying to communicate with Chell via her constant dialogue. The games creators have repeatedly said that Chell doesn’t talk as a “screw you!” gesture, to the robots who are all “acting like dicks”. That we as the gamer follow her instructions during the training portions of the game are another clue that we should intercept Chell and GLaDOS exchanges as communicative.

Portal and its squeal Portal 2 are two of the most ripe games for feminist analysis currently on the market. I hope to discuss some of these themes here personally. But till then here are some links to others analysis of the games: